Local soldiers become target of online scam.

[Wayne]

http://www.kxxv.com/story/18291372/loca ... nline-scam


Local soldiers become target of online scam
Posted: Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:44 PM EST

Local soldiers become target of online scam
2:42

By: Chris Cheng

KILLEEN – Almost half a dozen Army families have been hit by a home renting scam.

"I think we all work too hard for some scumbag to just come scam us out of our money because he has nothing else better to do," Specialist Mary Ray said.

Ray is just one of the many soldiers who have been taken advantage of by online scam artists.

"Someone is taking pictures from Craigslist from our listed properties for rent, and putting their own price and name on there. In some cases they're using the actual owners name and renting the properties or trying to rent the properties," Andrew Mills said.

Mills manages a local realty company in Killeen. He said he has seen at least five families, in the last month, get hit and left in the cold.

"It's very professional they have the emails down pat, the addresses, the names, so when you do your background check using a county tax record you'll see the same name that's attached to the house," Mills said.

Ray, like many soldiers, thought she had found the perfect house while searching online.

"I saw the pictures of it and I was just so excited, it was perfect. It was roomy, because he has kids you know, so it's roomy, it has a fence for the dog, so it's perfect, I want it," Ray said.

She then contacted the would-be owner, through e-mail, who said he was working in London.

"He was looking to rent out his place until he came back so we began talking to him kept communication with him and he was asking for $600 deposit and $600 first month rent," Ray said.

Ray and her fiancé wired the money through Western Union, but when she didn't receive the keys to the home in the coming weeks she tried to call the would-be owner.

The scammer ended up cutting off his phone and deleting his email; disappearing with their money.

Feeling jilted, the couple went to officials on Fort Hood who gave them the devastating news.

"They told me the house doesn't even belong to this guy. It belongs to a lieutenant colonel, who is stationed in Fort Leonard Wood, and I'm like wow," Ray said.

The coupled ended up losing more than 1200 dollars to the scam. Local real estate experts say the victims have lost an average of $1,500.

They offered these words of warning.

"Find someone in the city either a coworker or another soldier to view the property that's being offered, don't go into it blind and never Western Union any money," Mills said.